Outcast
by Ebony Nightinggale
Summary: When Ionnae, a holdless girl, and R'kel, rider of a runt brown dragon, meet they turn eachothers lives on thier heads, and not in a good way. But when great tragedy befalls R'kel Ionnae might be the only one who can save him, if anyone can find her!
1. Chosen Exile

**Disclaimer: I'm only saying this once so it goes for the entire story, I do not own The Dragonriders of Pern series or any of the actual characters or places from the series that I might use.**

**I also cannot claim the first verse of Ionnae's song, though not exact, it's pretty much the first verse of the opening song for Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. If I ever write the rest of the song it will likely, unless stated so, be pulled from my head but that is where the inspiration lies.**

**AN: This story revolves primarily around my made up, generically named, Cove Weyr and Breakwater Hold, Seven Coves Hold, and the general area around each. (There might also be a few unnamed gathers.)**

**Edited****: 3/29/10**

**Outcast**

**Chapter One: The Chosen Exile**

_Dreaming of the stars on high_

_That drift into the sacred skies_

_Drifting on a breeze_

_Only I can hear and feel_

The song of the sea. The sound Ionnae had fallen asleep and awoken to for the past six Turns. The sound of the waves echoed around a vast cavern, empty but for the massive pool of nearly still water that entered because the sea-facing wall of the cavern was supported beneath the water by pillars instead of a solid wall. The sound was then carried through a narrow passage into the small side cavern that she called home. Ionnae yawned and climbed out of her homemade hammock and threw a blanket of crudely stitched together wherry hide back onto it.

Thirteen fire lizards greeted her. Ionnae assumed the rest of her fair was either in the pool cavern or outside on the surrounding cliffs and bluffs faithfully guarding her home. Twenty-seven fire lizards looked to her. That was more than entire holds could boast. She hadn't intended to impress the first five but it had happened before she'd understood what she was doing. The other Twenty-two were a different matter. When Taleia's first clutch started hatching with an impending Threadfall she had needed to get them out of harm's way, fast, and couldn't think of a better way than enticing them with food.

Of thirty-four eggs she'd ended up with twenty-two. At first she couldn't imagine taking care of twenty-seven fire lizards but now couldn't imagine life without their constant company. In fact, she could hardly remember life without them.

As Ionnae stood a blue fire lizard of her first five, named Rain, landed on her shoulder. Rain was strange for a number of reasons, the most prominent reason was the fact that, despite of color, Rain was female, and of that she was certain. It was that or brown Trigger, also of the first five, was. Ionnae was two hundred and ninety-seven percent sure it was Rain.

As Ionnae grabbed what she would need for the day Rain sat on her shoulder and complained about her slowness. Ten of the fire lizards she had awoken to had gone to spread the news that she was on her way out leaving only Rain, Trigger, and little green Shy. A few more fire lizards popped in to add their complaints to Rain's as Ionnae prepared to leave for the day.

"Give me a minute, Silly." Ionnae laughed as a bronze by the name of Silly grabbed at her ink dark hair and tried to drag her out of her cave. Silly's response was a grumpy chirp that probably could translate to 'Fine. But only _one_ minute.'

Ionnae laughed again and threw her carry-sack with the supplies for the day over her shoulder along with a net-like bag made of thick vines used exclusively for fish. The carry-sack was one of the few things she owned, along with her clothes and sandals, which she had managed to buy at a gather.

Silly, Rain, and Trigger were all elated when Ionnae began to walk toward the tunnel that led to the pool cavern. Then not so much when she had to turn around and coax Shy out from a hole in the wall when a loud noise made by one of the others frightened her.

With Shy hidden in the crook of her arm, Rain perched on her shoulder, and Trigger and Silly as an escort Ionnae finally started down the narrow passage into the pool cavern. Two more fire lizards, the green Flower and Silly's partner in crime the blue Goof greeted them as they entered the cavern. Silly flew off with his partner and they both vanished _between_ with mischievous looks on their faces.

"Onae!" A dolphin's head popped out of the clear pool, "Onae come!" Ionnae waded into the shallows of the pool and the dolphin swam circles around her, "Onae! Onae! Onae!"

"All right, Grin. I'm here. What's wrong?"

"Uh…" Grin stopped swimming in circles and Ionnae cocked an eyebrow at him, "Give Grin not that look! Grin remember! Grin remember! You see! You see!" Grin paused again, "Denni said! Denni said… Right! Denni say to tell Onae that… Denni say warn Onae that there a man on beach few beaches to east! Yeah! That it! That it! See! See! Grin remember! Grin remember!"

Ionnae smiled and rubbed Grin's forehead, "Yes, Grin, you remembered and I'm proud of you."

Grin made a series of clicks and started swimming in circles around Ionnae again, "Grin do good! Grin do good! Grin get fish?"

"I'm sorry, Grin, but I don't have any fish right now but I'll tell you what. If you come back later we'll go for a swim. Okay?"

Grin dove under the water, did a back flip, and swam back up to Ionnae, "Onae promise? Grin remember! Grin come! Grin remember! Onae remember! Onae and Grin go swim! Grin promise! Grin remember!" Grin flipped again and swam out of the pool cavern into the open ocean.

"What are the odds of him actually remembering?" Ionnae asked the air around her. Rain answered her with a chirp, " I agree." Ionnae waded back out of the water onto the sandy rock surrounding the pool, not caring about the sand that stuck to her feet and sandals, and walked toward narrow passage that led parallel to the pool cavern and out into the southern sun.

As Ionnae emerged into to the sandy cove she was bombarded by at least fifteen of her fire lizards. From what Ionnae could gather there was a man, a boy more like, sitting in one of the sandy coves to the east, as Grin had said. Apparently he was upset and he was making Taleia upset.

"Taleia? Why's Taleia upset?" Ionnae asked out loud. She climbed up the side of the cliff face onto a narrow causeway that led over the deep water that fed into the pool cavern. "The cove her eggs are in!" Ionnae groaned as she jumped into the shallows at the end of the causeway, "Some of you go tell her not to overreact unless he sees them. Otherwise she'll just be announcing their presence."

Several of Ionnae's friends winked out of existence. She walked carefully along the rock walls of the coves she passed through heading in an easterly direction. She peaked around each cliff face before venturing into the next cove. A green fire lizard named Gem appeared and hovered in front of Ionnae reporting that Goof and Silly were up to no good and it involved that strange boy and his dragon.

"Dragon! Nobody thought to mention that sooner?" Gem simply stated that they were in the next cove over and she should be quieter. "What, on all Pern, would a dragonrider be doing in a random cove?" Other than be looking for fire lizard eggs… Ionnae ran her hand through her hair. She waded slowly into the water, the majority of the fire lizards left, and Ionnae peaked around the next bluff.

A boy, who couldn't have been any older then Ionnae, with brown windblown hair, sat on the sand near the water. He was hugging his knees to his chest and had his face buried in them. Her friends were right, this young dragonrider was obviously upset. So upset, in fact, that he didn't notice that he was sitting less than two feet from a queen fire lizard's clutch and that said queen fire lizard's whirling crimson eyes were boring holes in the back of his skull from the cliff face behind him.

The boy's brown dragon was definitely small. Ionnae didn't know all that much about dragons but she was pretty sure they were generally larger than runnerbeasts. The minuscule dragon had his nose underwater and was blowing bubbles obviously upset with its rider's distress…

Either that or it was with little blue fire lizard that seemed to be using him for a diving platform. Ionnae covered her mouth to keep in her laughter as Goof did an acrobatic leap off of the dragon's head. Oh, Goof, She thought, what am I going to do with you? Ionnae scanned the cove but the only bronze fire lizard she could see was Tok, perched faithfully on the cliff face beside his mate, his eyes just as baleful as hers were. If Goof was getting into trouble and Silly wasn't around it meant more trouble coming.

_Ionnae eavesdropped on their conversation, trying to deduce the reason they were so close to her home._ The things that Taluth's rider say don't matter._ The dragon was telling his rider,_ You are mine and I'm yours. That's what matters.

The rider looked back up at his dragon, "Callanth…" He buried his face in his knees, "Thanks."

_You're done brooding now? I want to swim._ The little brown dragon blew air threw his nose causing the water to bubble, _And this goofy blue fire lizard keeps jumping off my head._

"Fire lizard?"

A bronze blur shot out of the water and landed on the young dragonrider's knees. The boy looked up at the bronze fire lizard, whose nose was less than an inch from his, in shock. Silly had a strange look on his face and cocked his head to one side. The next thing the dragonrider knew this bizarre fire lizard had spit a large amount of water in his face.

His startled cry frightened Shy _between_ and as he fell backward trying to defend his face from a second assault, this time by Goof, his hand landed inches from Taleia's eggs. He obviously noticed them, however, it was in the spilt second before Taleia went berserk.

As the queen dove the rest of the fair followed, save for frightened Shy and Rain who remained perched firmly on Ionnae's shoulder though she was screeching loudly. The dragonrider leapt to his feet but fell down again covering his head with his arms as the fire lizards dove past. He got up again and scrambled toward the water where his dragon was trying to swim toward him but had Goof and Silly jabbering in his face.

The dragonrider was knee deep in the water now with his arms covering his head trying to wave off Taleia and the rest of Ionnae's fair. "I won't touch your eggs! Really! Promise!"

The young dragonrider's attempts to placate Taleia were so pathetic that Ionnae seriously considered calling her off but she doubted the fire lizard queen would listen to her if she felt her eggs were in danger.

"Really! I won't—" The boy's plea to the fire lizard queen was cut short as he fell over a drop-off that spanned the length of several coves. "Callanth!" He broke through the surface of the water and shouted for his dragon.

_I'm here!_ The small brown dragon snorted Silly and Goof out of his face and reached his rider. _Are you all right?_ The dragon asked of his rider.

"Fine. Just peachy." The rider threw his arms over the dragon's back and hauled himself into the saddle as Taleia and the others continued to dive at him. Ionnae, trying not to laugh, silently appealed to Taleia to leave the poor boy alone but she refused to cease her antics until the dragon had taken off.

Ionnae pressed herself against the wall of the bluff to avoid being seen as the dragon flew overhead but as soon as her fire lizard friends reported the dragon was out of sight she sank onto her rear laughing. She laughed until Taleia landed on her knees and none to quietly reminded her of the nasty habit dragonriders had of snatching eggs.

"Alright, alright. Let's move." Ionnae pushed herself to her feet rearranging the two bags she had slung over her shoulders, "Taleia, Tok, you two should stay here in case he comes back." The bronze and his queen chirped in response and flew back to the ledge from which they watched their eggs, "Goof… Silly…" The two troublemaking fire lizards hovered guiltily in front of her and she gave them a stern look, "If you hadn't been so intent on making mischief he might not even have noticed Taleia's eggs. Think before you act." The pair chirped sadly and winked _between_ but Ionnae knew that they'd be up to no good again before the tide came in.

She looked up at the rest of her fair who were perched on the cliffs or still circling above on the look out for more intruders. "The rest of you come on. We've much to do today." Ionnae turned on her heel and began walking back in the direction of her cave.

Yes, she thought, much to do today. And a clutch of eggs to relocate.

**AN: Just so anyone who might be interested knows, my update dates are sporadic and I have a couple other issues that might make my updates few and far between but I do like the plot of this story better than my other fanfics so I'll try to give it some special attention. This idea has been cultivating in my head for awhile so, unlike the others, I actually have more of an idea where it's going.**

**Wish me luck and thanks for reading!**

**-Ebony**


	2. The Runt's Rider

**Chapter Two: The Runt's Rider**

_Every night must end at dawn_

_As every truth will have its song_

_Come now,_

_Out of the dark, into the dawn_

R'kel paced angrily along the sandy cove. He was supposed to be on Search with a few other members of the wing but if he had to listen to another one of M'dor's jibes he was going to lose his mind. "Maybe I already have." He stopped pacing and looked to Callanth. The runt brown dragon sat in the shallows watching his rider carefully.

R'kel cursed himself as he sat down on the sand. So what if his dragon was small! Who cared if they were next to useless! M'dor's stupid taunts didn't mean anything! Nothing!

_Then why are you letting it bother you so much?_

R'kel pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, "That really didn't help, Callanth."

_What you thought before is true. The things that Taluth's rider say don't matter. You are mine and I'm yours. That's what matters._

R'kel looked back up at his dragon, "Callanth…" He buried his face in his knees, "Thanks."

_You're done brooding now? I want to swim._ Callanth blew air threw his nose causing the water to bubble, _And this goofy blue fire lizard keeps jumping off my head._

"Fire lizard?"

R'kel looked up at the same time that a bronze blur shot out of the water. He sat there, dumbstruck, staring blankly at the bronze fire lizard perched on his knees. The silly bronze cocked its head to one side and suddenly R'kel's face was full of water. He spat water out of his mouth and the bronze disappeared but just after he was gone the blue that had been using Callanth as a swim platform dove at him.

Throwing his arm up to defend his face, R'kel tipped backward and barely managed to catch himself. He felt something hard brush up against his hand as he fell. He looked down. Eggs? Not just any eggs, fire lizard eggs. No sooner had R'kel realized this then a piercing shriek distracted him.

He leapt to his feet, only to fall right back down throwing his arms over his head in an attempt to protect his head and face from the queen fire lizard and the large fair that followed her.

R'kel eventually found himself knee deep in water trying to reach Callanth, whose progress toward his rider was also inhibited by a pair of fire lizards chattering in his face. "I won't touch your eggs! Really! Promise!" R'kel pleaded with the unyielding queen, "Really! I won't—" The plea was cut short as he tried to take another step back and found nothing to stand on.

He plummeted over the edge of the drop-off and into open water, his drenched wherhide jacket threatening to drag him down but he managed back to the surface and made a mental note to learn to swim better. "Callanth!" R'kel shouted for his dragon, disoriented by his underwater plunge.

_I'm here!_ Callanth called. He snorted the fire lizards out of his face and finally reached his rider. _Are you all right?_

R'kel threw his armed over Callanth's back and grabbed the riding straps, "Fine, just peachy." The fire lizard queen still did not cease her attack, though it seemed a good number of the rest had dropped back some, and R'kel had to keep waving her off as climbed into Callanth's saddle.

He continued attempting to wave off the fire lizards however the moment Callanth was in the air they all vanished. R'kel looked down over the cove to see the entire fair swarming over the egg cove as well as both adjacent coves.

_We join Taluth and Aironth's riders or return home?_

"Back to the Weyr. I'll seriously lose it if I have to deal with M'dor right now."

_Hallath says that his rider demands an explanation._

"What for?"

_I told him that Taluth's rider was teasing you again. He asks that we return immediately._

"Tell him—"

_I told him that we could not go_ between_ because you're all wet. He then said that this was an inefficient means of communication and that you will discuss this matter when we return._

"Alright, alright." R'kel pulled off his jacket and shook it out once before tying it around his waist, "And let me guess, we are to return as so a possible."

_Yes, though I don't see why it's so important. It's such a nice day for flying. After you speak with Hallath's rider we swim and have fun and you forget about Taluth's rider and all the others._

R'kel sigh and rubbed the back of Callanth's neck, "If that's what you want, buddy, if that's what you want."

_Done brooding now?_

"Done brooding now." R'kel sighed heavily as Callanth angled his wings and adjusted his position so that he flew over the bluffs by the sea. R'kel gazed out across the sea. As he did he wondered, for not the first time, if there really was a place for him a Callanth at the Weyr. Just a worthless little boy and his runt dragon. Callanth suddenly folded his wings in and the pair dropped like a stone for two, normal sized, dragon-lengths, effectively scaring R'kel half to death. "Shards Callanth! You could've warned me!"

_You said you were done brooding! _Callanth climbed and dove back toward the ground.

"Callanth!"

_No more brooding!_

In spite of himself, R'kel laughed, "Alright, fine. No more brooding." He rubbed his dragon's neck affectionately, "Maybe when the Wingleader finishes chewing us out we can get A'ron and Mareth to come swimming with us and perhaps we'll see this alleged dolphin pod they've been going on about."

_Mareth is pretty._

"She's nearly twice your size!"

_So? She's still pretty._ Callanth rumbled.

"Oh you." R'kel gave the back of Callanth's neck a half-hearted thump.

_I like Mareth. You like her rider. I don't see a problem._

"The way I like A'ron is different from the way that you like Mareth." Callanth turned his head back toward his rider and tipped it to the side with a puzzled look that silently inquired after an explanation. However, they arrived back at Cove Weyr before R'kel could formulate an answer.

Cove Weyr was, as the name implied, built inside of a large cove. The living caverns were built into the bluff that formed the back of the crescent moon shape of the cove. The dragonriders made their weyrs either above the living caverns or, like R'kel, out in the arms of the cove over the water. Meleth stood protectively over her eggs, which were lain on the cove sands well above the high tide line, screeching out a challenge to any whom dared come near. Her mate, Loleth, perched on his ledge overlooking the Weyr while the Weyrleader oiled a patch of his hide.

R'kel and Callanth landed on the ledge of their high weyr on the short arm of the cove. The short arm was buffered on all sides by sandy beach and one could walk easily around to the next cove where as the long arm extended far out into the sea without even a buffer of sand around it. R'kel personally preferred to have some form of solid ground when he looked down from the ledge.

R'kel unhooked Callanth's riding harness and spread it out in the sun to dry. He trudged back to his sleeping room and dragged a chair back out onto the ledge and threw his jacket over the back to dry. He muttered a few choice words directed at a certain queen fire lizard and her fair when he noticed several slits in the hide, very likely caused by fire lizard claws, that he would have to get mended. He shed the rest of his wet clothes, carefully examining each article for other tears, and returned to his sleeping chamber for another pair of trousers.

_Hallath and rider come._ There was amusement in Callanth's voice as he reported, _I'm coming inside. The ledge is too small. Hallath won't fit with me here. He's too big._

_Buddy, no other dragon would fit well on that ledge._ Callanth curled up on his couch and R'kel sat down next to him.

_See, Being small has its advantages. I don't think that Hallath could fit his head through the door._

_Let's not test that out. We'd have a bit of a problem if he got stuck._

"R'kel! Hey! You in here somewhere, kid?" Wingleader C'rin, rider of bronze Hallath, strode into the room with his riding helmet tucked under one arm and his jacket over his other shoulder. R'kel shrank back against Callanth's hide and silently wished himself _between_.

_Hallath says to tell you that his rider says to tell you that he's not mad at you._ Callanth nudged his rider with his nose, _Nothing to worry about._

_Just because there's nothing to worry about doesn't mean that I'm not going to worry._

_You're silly._

"Come on, kid, I know you're here otherwise Callanth wouldn't be. Haven't eaten you yet, now, have I?" Reluctantly, R'kel stood keeping one hand on Callanth's neck ridge. C'rin smiled with what appeared to be relief, "There you are, lad. Got worried when M'dor and F'ren came back without you." C'rin's expression changed when he gave R'kel a good look over and noticed the scratches on his arms and face. "Shards! What happened to you R'kel? You look like you were mobbed by fire lizards."

"Inadvertently." R'kel dropped his eyes to the ground.

C'rin stared blankly at the boy for a moment, "You mean you _were_ mobbed by fire lizards?"

"Yes. I nearly fell on top of a queen's clutch."

The Wingleader grinned trying not to laugh, "I take it she wasn't to happy about that."

R'kel scowled, "I don't find it at all funny, C'rin."

C'rin did laugh now, "I'm not saying that it's funny, lad. Go get some slave from Dia for those scratches and… try not to let M'dor bother you so much. I know the guy's a jerk but unless he somehow gets transferred to another Weyr, we're all stuck with him." C'rin glanced toward the door, "I'll talk to you more later, kid. Hallath's itchy." The tone change in C'rin's voice was almost comical as he left the room talking aloud to his dragon as he left the room.

Callanth rose to his feet and butted R'kel in the back with his nose, _Let's go down and talk to the headwoman. She can fix your jacket and get you some salve._

"I don't think we should bother Dia with something so trivial."

_So, talk to your sister. Anything that's not brooding and will lead to swimming later with Mareth._

"Oh, you…" R'kel sighed and patted Callanth's side, "Alright, but I need to grab some grub. Being chased by crazy fire lizards made me hungry."

_Salve._

"…and I'll talk to someone about salve."

_Jacket._

"I was going wait for it to dry first." R'kel rolled his eyes seeing the next statement coming, "Yes, we will then proceed to ask A'ron and Mareth about swimming."

**AN: I would like to take this time to warn anyone who has chosen to follow this story that it might be quite some time before my next update. My inspiration for jotting this down kinda went_ fwump_. The story's still in my head and I still like it, it just might take a bit for me to get it on paper... or hard drive or whatever you'd call it.**

**I would like to thank everyone who took the time read this and I would also like to thank my reviewers for giving me the motivation to get this up.**

**Thank you all.**

**-Ebony**


	3. Gather Day

**Edit: 4/25/10**

**Chapter Three: Gather Day**

"_Listen to me children,_

_I've a story to tell"_

Rain circled once overhead before perching herself securely on Ionnae's shoulder. Ionnae's hair was held back by a headband made of braided leather preventing her hair from falling in front of her face the way it usually did. She was wearing a blue tunic and an actual pair of full length, albeit a little short, trousers. Nether article was worn regularly, this kept them pretty nice. The only things of her normal attire were her carry-sack and her sandals. Altogether she looked halfway presentable. She felt ridiculous.

She dodged around unobservant gather-goers as she tried to make her when to her destination, feeling slightly uncomfortable and very out of place. Breakwater was by no means a large hold by northern standers but, compared to Ionnae's usual solitude, the number of people was suffocating. There were only three people that she wanted to see. Why could she only access them during gathers?

With her, she had a set of her nearly famous, though no one other than the hold's only tanner actually knew who made, braided leather belts. What had started as a way to save scraps of hide and make them useful had turned into a source of income she could use for things she couldn't make herself.

She knew that she was getting close to Journeyman Tallin's tanner stall when Goof and Silly appeared briefly overhead before vanishing again. Ionnae swore under her breath and quickened her pace but before she could take more than a few steps an angry voice could be heard over the crowd.

"Come back here with that, you lousy flutterbies! I know who you look to and she's not gonna be happy about this! Believe me!"

Goof and Silly flew over the gather crowd toward Ionnae carrying what looked like some kind of tool between them. Journeyman tanner Tallin chased after from not far behind. Rain jumped from Ionnae's shoulder and intercepted the mischievous pair's flight path. She scolded the pair fiercely until they turned around and sulked back to Tallin. He retrieved his stolen tool and scowled at Goof and Silly until they vanished _between_. Rain chirped lightly and returned to her perch on Ionnae's shoulder.

Tallin spotted her then and waved Ionnae over to his stall. "There you are, lass. Did you bring some of those pretty belts of yours? That Threadfall a sevenday back messed the gather schedule up and it seems these days like everyone wants one of those tough braided belts of yours."

"Well, I've got seven for you today, Tallin, but four a gather is the best you can probably hope for. If people really want them that badly they'll just have to be patient" Ionnae dug a few of the belts out of her carry-sack and lay them across her arm. "I stopped by the metal worker's place on my way here and picked up some buckles, so you don't have to handle that part."

"Aye, I'll reimburse you for the buckles." They haggled over the price of each individual belt, Tallin pointing out small flaws while Ionnae pointed out that he had mentioned just a moment ago that numerous people wanted them and that that would drive up the price. The barter ended with a smirking Ionnae and a grumbling Tallin. Ionnae went to look at strong strips of hide she could use to replace the worn straps of her sandals.

"You could let make you a pair of boots." Tallin said when he'd finished with another customer and Ionnae get him the marks for the straps.

"And do what with them? I spend half my day knee deep in water. They'd be ruined in a month, if they last even that long."

"You tramp through the jungle just as often as the ocean, lass. You could at least use 'em there. I'll make you a deal. Two belts for a pair of boots."

"I've been just fine in sandals for years. You try to pawn a pair of boots off on me every gather."

"You can't blame me for trying." Tallin shrugged. "Say, you singing with Journeyman Pallor tonight?"

"If I run into him while tracking down Sai."

"Saiasha's not a half bad singer either." Tallin grinned, "Maybe the four of us could sing a quartette."

"I don't think so. I've heard you sing."

"That's a low blow, Ionnae. A low blow." When Ionnae made no sign that she would repeal the statement, Tallin sighed. "Are you sure you won't teach me how to make those belts? I've even had dragonriders asking me about those things."

"Well, they're first come, first serve. Even to dragonriders. And if I taught you to make them, I'd lose my source of steady income." Rain chirped and Ionnae started back down the road. "I gotta run."

"Running's Sai's job not yours!" Tallin called after her. Ionnae responded with a simple backward wave over her shoulder. He shook his head and went back to work.

Ionnae went about the gather picking up some of the small things she need that she couldn't make herself, while keeping on the look out for Saiasha. On her way back to the gather square, she bought a length of blue cloth that she intended to make a new shirt out of because her other tunic was falling apart. She sat down with a cup of cool juice at the table she usually sat at with Saiasha in the back corner of the square and waited.

"Hey, Ionnae!" Ionnae waved her runner friend over and offered her some juice from the pitcher.

"Hey, Sai." Ionnae watched as Saiasha dropped into the opposite chair and gulped down her juice. "Shards, did you sprint all the way from the runner's station or something?"

"Or something." Sai replied, "I didn't want to miss you. You don't always stay very long."

"Well, here I am."

"Yeah, figured that out. Just give me a few to catch my breath." Saiasha leaned back in her chair and lifted her cup to the lips. Little green Shy suddenly appeared over the table. She squawked and dove down into Sai's lap. Sai laughed as Shy snuggled into the folds of her tunic. "Silly critter, if you're that scared stay home."

"She would but she likes you Sai. She's willing to brave the gather crowd to see you, if only to hide in your tunic."

Sai cradled Shy in her free arm, "Silly little Shy." She set her cup down and dug through her carry-sack. She grunted and shifted Shy under her arm, trying to get a better look into her bag. "Oh, come on! I know it's here!" Shy poked her head into the bag and suddenly tumbled into it.

Sai jumped to her feet and tried to hold her bag open and dig through it at the same time. "Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!" Ionnae stood to help but someone else got there first. He held Sai's bag open for her and the moment there was enough room Shy sprung out and latched herself onto Sai's tunic, screeching a the while. Sai forgot about what she had been digging for and wrapped her arms around Shy, trying to calm her.

"That's some fire lizard you've got there." The man said, eyeing Shy. Shy squawked and dove back into Sai's carry-sack but instead of trying to get back out and causing chaos, she sat very still as if she hoping that no one noticed her. She poked her head out, hissed at the man, and hid again. "Never seen a fire lizard do that."

Sai giggled, "I don't think she likes you."

"Well, why ever not? I'm a dragonrider, Silly. I'd never hurt you." Sai's bag shifted but Shy did not emerge. Sai started giggling again. The dragonrider shrugged, "Can't charm them all, I suppose. M'dor, Taluth's rider."

Sai smiled, "Saiasha, apprentice runner. Nice to meet you." She glanced back over her shoulder to where Ionnae was now sitting and her grin grew wider. Catching on to what Sai was thinking, Ionnae shook her head. "Come on, please?"

"No."

"But it's fun."

"In my personal opinion, it ceased to be amusing quite some time ago."

"Please?"

"Oh, fine. If it'll make you happy." Ionnae rolled her eyes.

"What're you two talking about?"

Ionnae looked over at the rider and then over at the clear area that the dragons of the weyrfolk gatherers lounged in. "Is Taluth the biggest blue one?"

The rider's mouth dropped open, "How'd you know that?"

Ionnae shrugged and Sai giggled, "She can always tell what rider goes with what dragon." Sai said.

"Interesting…" The rider muttered but before he could finish the thought Shy poked her head back out of Sai's carry-sack and chirped, "Well, look at that! The silly one is back."

"Actually," Ionnae began, a smile pulling at her lips, "she's Shy. Silly's the one that's about to land on your head."

"Huh? What're you—" Before he could finish the question Silly winked into existence above his head, dove, and nestled himself on top of it. The rider jumped and threw his arms about his head in an attempt to dislodge Silly, who was just as determined to stay on. "Get off you goofy little son of a—" Silly let of the rider's hair but continued to dive around his face.

Sai was laughing and Ionnae wasn't even trying to hide her smile, "No, I just told you, he's Silly. Goof's the blue fella' digging through your belt pouch."

"What!" The rider jumped and managed to dislodge Goof from where he'd gotten himself entangled in the rider's belt. He leaped backward away from the troublemaking fire lizards and straight into a server carrying several flasks of wine. The wine spilled, mostly on the rider, and both he and the server woman fell to the ground.

The rider stood first and offered his hand to the server but the woman smacked it away, "Watch where you're going!" She all but shouted as she stood, "That was good Benden!"

"I do apologize, ma'am." The rider said, bowing slightly, "I know that it is a high-crime to waste good Benden wine but…" He eyed Silly and Goof, now sitting on the table, "that pair of maniac fire lizards was heckling me."

The woman peered around the rider at Goof and Silly as if she knew exactly who they were, "You've not been to many of Breakwater's gathers if you don't know those two." She grumbled something else under her breath and stalked off.

Someone at another table giggled and, as if that giggle opened a floodgate, loud bursts of laughter could be heard from the same direction. Ionnae chanced a glance toward the table. Three boys and one giggly girl sat there. Two of the boys appeared to be dragonriders, the other two she wasn't sure about. She frowned slightly we she recognized the rider that Taleia had chased over the drop-off a sevenday back but Taleia's eggs had hatched so he was no longer a threat to herself or the eggs.

"Not so charming drenched in wine, are you, M'dor?" The non-rider boy shouted.

Ionnae felt the urge to grin once more. That and her lack of respect those who had shown her none that prompted her next comment, "I wasn't aware that he was charming to begin with." The laughing started again and Sai joined in.

M'dor rounded on the occupants of the other table, "At least I'm not a useless brat, an underage green rider, the Weyr's idiot, or the rider of a worthless runt!" He stomped from the Gather Square, leaving both tables in semi-stunned silence.

The boy Ionnae didn't think belonged with any of the dragons in the field spoke first, "I'm not a brat, am I?"

"No," said the boy that Ionnae thought belonged with the smaller of the two green dragons in the field, "and before you say anything, R'kel, you and Callanth are not worthless."

R'kel, the boy with the runt brown dragon, spoke next, "You can't exactly deny the underage comment, though, A'ron."

The girl giggled and a green fire lizard peeked out from her hair, "M'dor is very rude, very rude."

"Very rude indeed." Ionnae agreed, rising to her feet as Sai began to laugh. She turned back to her friend, "I'm going to go find Pallor." She turned away and began to walk from the Gather Square but Sai ran up beside her again.

"Hey, wait a sec!" Both girls stopped and Sai started digging through her bag again. Shy crawled back out and vanished _between_ as Sai pulled a package from her bag that was wrapped in a brown cloth and secured with twine. "This is from your sis. I don't know what's in it but she said that she didn't have time to write a letter and that you would know what the package was for."

"Thanks, Sai." Ionnae replied, accepting the package. She tucked it under her arm and smiled at Sai. "Go make some new friends. I'll be back, promise."

"You had better!" Sai replied as Ionnae walked off, "And write up a reply to your sis while you're at it."

"Will do." Ionnae called back. She smiled as her friend went over to the dragonriders' table but continued on her way.

Once she had found a nice quiet spot on the edge of the gather, she sat down on the ground under the shade of a tall tree and untied the twine on her package. She wrapped the long piece of twine around her hand and peeled back the cloth wrapping. The metal box that sat on her hand would be useful enough, but what she found inside was doubly so. It was a small sewing kit, something Ionnae didn't have. When she needed sew her clothes she just used a crude bone needle. She was almost gleeful as she poked through the spools of thread and the many different sizes of needles. Ionnae decided that she was going to make her sister something extra special when her nameday came around. She put the carefully wound up twine into in the kit and folded the cloth on top of it. Both objects had the potential to be useful and Ionnae never threw away anything that might have a use.

Now to find Pallor…

"There you are Ionnae! I've been searching all of Breakwater for you." Ionnae looked up as she tucked the kit into her carry-sack. Journeyman Harper Pallor crossed the open area from the gather's edge toward her. Pallor was a good head and shoulders taller than Tallin and could hold a tune a great deal better. He was also one of the only trained harpers between Seven Coves Hold and Cove Weyr.

"I was just about to go looking for you, Pallor." Ionnae said as she stood.

"Were you, now?" Pallor asked as he arrived at her side. "I was afraid that you had already left."

"I'm here, so, I obviously haven't left yet."

"True," Pallor said, "very true. Do you intend to stay and sing tonight?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. So, I guess you don't have to find someone else to sing with."

Pallor grinned, "Shall we head up to the Gather Square and grab some juice. It's a rather hot day today."

Ionnae shook her head, "Just came from there, Pallor. I still have a bit more shopping to do."

Pallor rolled his eyes, "For _practical_ things I'm sure. You really should get some boots from Tallin."

Ionnae shook her head with a groan, "What is it with you two? I don't need boots. They'd just get ruined. It's not practical to replace them every month."

"You and your practical-ness. You replace your sandal straps almost that often."

"They don't cost as much and I can actually make new ones if I need to."

Pallor shook his head, "There's no point in trying to reason with you, is there?"

"Nope. See you later, Pallor." Ionnae said as she headed back toward the gather.

"You had better not run off between now and then!" Pallor called after her. "You know as well as I do that some of these people stay that late just to hear you sing." Ionnae gave him a backward wave over her shoulder, just as she had Tallin, and walked back into the gather.

As afternoon faded to dusk, Ionnae found and purchased a few more small things that she needed. She sat down at another table in the Gather Square and wrote out a letter to her sister. As soon as she had folded the letter and sealed it, Rain carefully picked it up in her front talons and carried it over to where Sai sat with her new friends from the Weyr and dropped it in her lap. She smiled as her friend scratched Rain's head before Rain flew back over to her shoulder.

Soon night began to fall and the lanterns around the square were being lit. Ionnae got up from her table and sat down on the edge of the harpers' stage. Pallor smiled at her as he sat down and began to quietly tune his guitar while Breakwater's other harper set up his drums. Several of Ionnae's fire lizards emerged from _between_ above the Gather Square. They settled themselves about the harpers' stage, drawing the crowd's attention to the stage. Sai gave her a thumbs-up from her spot in the crowd and Ionnae nodded in reply. Taleia landed on Ionnae's lap and, as the crowd quieted, she began singing without accompaniment as the harpers readied their instruments.

"_The little queen all golden_

_Flew hissing at the sea._

_To stop each wave_

_Her clutch to save_

_She ventured bravely."_

By the time Ionnae had finished 'The Fire Lizard's Song' Pallor had finished tuning his guitar and the drum had been set up. Pallor led the trio into 'The Ballad of Moreta's Ride' followed closely by Lessa's. Afterward, Ionnae sang several of Masterharper Menolly's famous songs while her fire lizards hummed along.

As the night wore on, and the trio began to take requests, Ionnae found her eyes drifting more often to the star-lit sky than across the crowd. As the song they sang ended, Ionnae smiled over at Pallor. He smiled back, understanding, and nodded, laying his guitar across she lap. Ionnae looked once more up to the sky. She took a deep breath and sang,

"_Dreaming of the stars on high_

_That drift into the sacred sky._

_Drifting on a breeze_

_Only I can hear and feel."_


	4. Silver Eyes

**Chapter Four: Silver Eyes**

_When I looked into her eyes_

_Starlight I did see_

_Half hidden by an ink dark veil_

_And shrouded in mystery _

"I can't believe I let you guys talk me into this." R'kel muttered as he walked behind A'ron and Reven.

A'ron grinned at him and Reven laughed but it was R'kel's sister who answered. "Gathers fun." Mora said, "Fun-fun. Breakwater best fun. Everyone say Breakwater best fun. Big brother needs to have some fun-fun. Little brother here too, so family fun-fun. A'ron here too, so friend and family fun-fun."

"Mora's right, bro." Reven slowed his pace a bit and matched his stride to R'kel's. "You need to get out more."

"I get out enough…"

"Secluded coves don't count as 'out'." A'ron slowed his pace a bit as Reven had, "Besides, Breakwater gathers have the best music between the Weyr and Seven Coves Hold."

"And pretty singer sing at Breakwater. Very pretty singer sing pretty at Breakwater." Mora giggled lightly and Meg peaked out of her hair and looked about the crowded gather before the green fire lizard hid ducked back into hiding.

"That's right Mora!" Reven said, "One of Breakwater's harpers has a friend from outside the hold that comes in for gathers and you haven't lived until you've heard her sing."

"Alright, alright. I'm already here so you can stop trying to convince me that it's a good idea to come."

"Fire lizard!" Mora suddenly cried out, pointing up at the sky. A pair of fire lizards, blue and bronze, flew out of a nearby stall, carrying some kind of tool between them. A man ran after them, shouting all the way. Another blue fire lizard suddenly appeared and scolded the other two. They both ducked their heads and flew the tool back to the stall they had stolen it from while the stall's keeper looked on, scowling.

"Wonder what that was about?" A'ron asked.

"Who knows?" Reven shrugged and turned the party down a different path.

Mora giggled, "Naughty, naughty fire lizards. Silly, goofy fire lizards. Meg a good fire lizard, good-good fire lizard. Meg not take, Meg not steal. Nope, no. Meg good, Meg best."

"Yes, Mora. Meg is a good fire lizard." R'kel set his hand on his sister's shoulder. Meg stepped out from Mora's hair again and onto his hand, chirping up at him. Mora giggled again as R'kel used his free hand to scratch the fire lizard's head.

"Hurry up, guys!" Reven shouted from a ways ahead. A'ron had stopped to wait for R'kel and Mora to catch up but Reven had kept on going. "There aren't going to be anymore hot pies at the baker's stall!" He whined.

R'kel and Mora caught up to A'ron, who shook his head, "And he thinks that he's mature enough to be a dragonrider."

"You're the same age A'ron." R'kel reminded him.

"I know, but I think I might be a bit more mature."

"I think Mora might be a bit more mature."

"Me? Me?" Mora looked around, "Me, what?"

"It's nothing Mora." A'ron said as Reven whined impatiently from ahead of them.

Mora caught sight of a jeweler's stall and became entranced by the shinny objects, "Pretty, pretty. Very pretty, pretty."

"Come on Mora." R'kel wrapped his arm around her shoulders and towed her after Reven. A'ron paused but Reven shouted his impatience once more. "We need to catch up to Reven, now. You can look at the pretty later. Now, we have to catch up to Reven."

"Catch up to Reven." Mora repeated. "Reven find pies, Reven always find pies. Pies good. Best! Best-good."

A'ron grinned, "That's right. Reven's going to find us all some pies."

"Not if you don't hurry up!" Reven shouted.

"Oh, relax, would you." A'ron called ahead, "At the rate you're going, they won't even have the pies made yet."

"Reven is impatient, very impatient. Impatient little brother, little brother impatient."

"That's right, Mora." R'kel said as he gently towed her along, "Little brother is very impatient."

"I can hear you, you know!" Reven shouted back to them.

"That was the point, wasn't it?" A'ron asked.

"Yes."

"Pies!" Mora declared, pointing to the baker's stall, where the baker was just pulling a tray of pies from his oven. Reven leaned over the front of the stall, already trying to barter prices before the pies were even cool enough to sell.

"You see, Reven, I was right! Even if we were faster, you would have had to wait for the pies to finish baking anyway!" Reven stuck his tongue out at A'ron who just rolled his eyes. R'kel sighed, anticipating another round of bickering but Mora interrupted.

"Pies!" She declared again, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Pies good! Pies best! Pies best-good!"

The baker looked at R'kel and smiled. "Well, hello there, dragonrider." He said, completely ignoring Reven and A'ron. "What can I do for you on this fine day?"

"Hey! Journeyman Kalaam! What about us!" Reven demanded. "A'ron's a dragonrider too!" He said, gesturing angrily in A'ron's direction. A'ron just bowed his head and hid his eyes with his hand.

"Perhaps but A'ron is hardly a proper dragonrider, now, is he?"

R'kel decided that an intervention might be necessary before his brother blew his top. He stepped in front of the protesting Reven. "I'm not entirely sure that I could be considered a 'proper' dragon rider but this troop here," he gestured toward his brother, friend, and sister, "told me that these are the best pies between the Weyr and Seven Coves."

"Did they now?" Journeyman Kalam eyed Reven and A'ron suspiciously.

A'ron and Reven watched in awe as R'kel somehow managed to wrestle four pies out of Journeyman Kalam for nearly half the price that they Reven usually got out of him. "You are seriously amazing bro." Reven exclaimed as they sat down at a table in one corner of the gather square. "You ought to come with us more often." R'kel just rolled his eyes and started eating his pie.

"Figured that Kalam was swindling us, but I didn't think it was that _much_." A'ron grumbled. "A couple pies could never have been worth that much."

"Pies good! Pies best!" Mora exclaimed. "Pies best-good."

"Mora's right." R'kel said. "These pies are second only to Dia's, though I'm not sure that they're worth what you've been paying for them." Reven kicked his shin. "Hey!"

Reven pointed over R'kel's shoulder. "That's the singer." He hissed under his breath.

"Pretty singer sing pretty." Mora said using the same hushed tone as Reven, though more out of mimicry than a need for secrecy.

R'kel glanced over his shoulder, more to appease his siblings then out of actual curiosity on his part. A girl about his age sat at a table behind them sipping from a tall glass of juice. Yes, he would admit that she was pretty, but an average everyday pretty. R'kel suspected that the beauty that Reven had spoken of was because of the idolized position he held her in. The singer's hair was black as fresh ink but the ends uneven as if it had been hacked shorter with a belt knife at some point, though it had grown long enough that it was less immediately apparent. Her eyes, which were an odd shade of grey that could have been better described as silver, had a hard, determined look about them. A look that made R'kel feel that it would be a bad idea to cross her while she was in a foul mood.

R'kel turned back to his own table and found his brother looking at him with expectant eyes. Realizing that he wasn't going to get away with not responding, R'kel shrugged. "Alright, she's pretty." Reven beamed at him but before he could reply Mora decided to play mother hen and tried to wipe pie filling from his face. R'kel used his brother's momentary distraction to meet A'ron's gaze and roll his eyes. A'ron returned the gesture. He didn't understand Reven's over-exaggerated hype was about either but, then again, A'ron's preferences were well known.

Unfortunately, A'ron's eye roll didn't go unnoticed. Reven glared at him after he fended off Mora. "Well we _all_ know that A'ron would rather—Ouch! Hey! What was that for?" Reven whined, gripping his injured shin.

R'kel fought the urge to laugh and failed. "Don't you remember, Reven?" He covered his mouth with his hand to hide his laughter. "A'ron hits hard for a little guy and hits where it hurts."

Reven glared at A'ron who returned the glare tenfold, in R'kel's opinion anyway. But before the glaring contest could turn into another argument about things that even Mora knew A'ron did not like to discuss in public, Reven hit R'kel's shoulder and was pointing over it again. R'kel gave A'ron an exasperated look as he did his brother's bidding a looked back over his shoulder.

Another girl had joined the singer. She was taller, her skin darker, and had rather elongated seeming limbs but by her garb she was a runner so the long limbs fit. Her brown hair was tied back in a frizzy braid that appeared to be falling apart. This, coupled with her labored breathing and the glass of juice that she was guzzling down, gave the impression that she had sprinted straight from the runners' station.

"Uh oh, M'dor alert." A'ron said in a low voice, gesturing toward a nearby table. M'dor was, thankfully, not looking them but he was eyeing the singer and runner.

"What's his major malfunction, anyway?" Reven grumbled. "He's a bloody bluerider with a bloody weyrmate and yet he'll flirt with any bloody girl in sight."

"I'll never understand why F'ren puts up with him." A'ron added, slumping back in his chair and crossing his arms. "I hope whoever flies Mareth doesn't have such a jerk for a rider."

Reven tapped R'kel with his elbow. "Don't think you have to worry about that one—Ouch! Hey! What's with you two?" R'kel had smacked Reven on the back of the head and A'ron kicked his shin once more.

It was Mora who answered Reven's question. "Weyr talk, lil' brother. Weyr talk. Talk for Weyr, not for gather. Not for gather."

Reven opened his mouth but before he could retort there was a sudden panicked shout. "Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!" R'kel turned just in time to see the runner leap to her feet and start trying to hold open and dig through her carry-sack at the same time. The bag was shifting around and bulging in odd places as if there was a small creature trapped inside. The singer stood to aid her but R'kel's table let out a collective groan as M'dor reached her first.

He held the bag open and, the moment there was enough room, a small green fire lizard leaped out of it and latched herself to the runner's tunic. "That's some fire lizard you've got there." Reven made a gagging sound and R'kel rolled his eyes as A'ron fought laughter. M'dor was in his best 'charm mode' as the wingleader called it. The fire lizard squawked and dove back into the runner's carry-sack, sitting very still as if she hoped that no one had noticed her. She poked her out, hissed at M'dor, and hid again. M'dor scratched his head, "Never seen a fire lizard do that."

The runner giggled, "I don't think she likes you."

"With good reason." A'ron muttered under his breath. Reven stifled his laughter and R'kel rolled his eyes.

"Well, why ever not? I'm a dragonrider, silly. I'd never hurt you." The runner's bag shifted slightly but the fire lizard did not emerge. The runner started giggling again. M'dor shrugged, "Can't charm them all, I suppose. M'dor, Taluth's rider."

The runner smiled at the introduction, prompting Reven to mimic gagging again. "Saiasha," the runner introduced herself, "apprentice runner. Nice to meet you." Saiasha glanced over her shoulder at the singer, who had at some point sat back down, and her grin widened. The singer shook her head, obviously knowing what the look was asking better than their eavesdropping audience. "Come on, please?" Saiasha pleaded.

"No." The singer replied without making eye contact.

"But it's fun."

"In my personal opinion, it ceased to be amusing quite some time ago."

"Please?"

"Oh, fine. If it'll make you happy." The singer rolled her eyes.

"What're you two talking about?" M'dor asked, his expression puzzled.

The singer looked over at M'dor and then over at the field where the dragons rested. "Is Taluth the biggest blue one?"

M'dor's mouth dropped open and R'kel had to stop his from doing the same. "How'd you know that?"

The singer shrugged and Saiasha giggled. "She can always tell what rider goes with what dragon." The runner said.

"Interesting…" M'dor muttered but before he could finish the thought the fire lizard poked her head back out of Saiasha's carry-sack and chirped. "Well, look at that! The silly one is back."

"Actually," the singer began, a mischievous grin forming on her lips, "she's Shy. Silly's the one that's about to land on your head."

"Huh? What're you—" Before M'dor could finish the question a bronze fire lizard winked into existence over his head. It dove and nestled himself into in M'dor's hair. M'dor jumped and threw his arms about his head in an attempt to dislodge the fire lizard, who was just as determined to stay right where it was. "Get off you goofy little son of a—" The fire lizard released his hair but continued to dive around M'dor's face.

Saiasha was laughing and the singer was grinning. "No, I just told you, he's Silly. Goof's the blue fella' digging through your belt pouch."

"What!" M'dor jumped again but managed to unravel the blue fire lizard that seemed to have gotten itself tangled in his belt. He leaped backward away from the troublemaking fire lizard duo and straight into a server carrying several flasks of wine. The wine spilled, mostly on M'dor, and both he and the server woman fell to the ground.

M'dor jumped to his feet and offered his hand to the woman but she smacked it away. "Watch where you're going!" She shouted as she stood. "That was good Benden!"

"I do apologize, ma'am." M'dor said, back in 'charm mode'. "I know that it is a high-crime to waste good Benden wine but…" He eyed the fire lizards that now sat on the table, "that pair of maniac fare lizards was heckling me."

The woman eyed the fire lizards as if she knew exactly who they were. "You've not been to many of Breakwater's gathers if you don't know those two." She grumbled something else under her breath and stalked off.

R'kel, A'ron, and Reven were shocked into silence. They had never before witnessed and occasion where M'dor had not gotten his way when it came to a woman. Mora suddenly started giggling and then the others could hold it back no longer. Reven and A'ron were barking with laughter and R'kel found himself laughing as well, though not with the same gusto as his brother and friend.

"Not so charming drenched in wine, are you, M'dor?" Reven, for some reason that R'kel couldn't fathom, thought it would be a good idea to bait the already irate bluerider.

"I wasn't aware that he was charming to begin with." The singer's comment probably didn't help M'dor's mood any but it sent a new round of laughter through the occupants of R'kel's table and this time Saiasha, the runner, joined in.

This, all and all, turned out to be a bad thing as M'dor rounded his anger on them. , "At least I'm not a useless brat, an underage green rider, the Weyr's idiot, or the rider of a worthless runt!" He stomped from the Gather Square, leaving both tables in semi-stunned silence. R'kel recoiled as if he'd been struck. He dropped his eyes to the table.

_No brooding. It upsets me and it upsets Mareth's rider which upsets Mareth._

_Callanth?_

_You are mine, I am yours, and Taluth's rider has the sense of a wherry in heat. Enjoy yourself and forget Taluth's rider._

_Thanks buddy._

Reven broke the silence at the table first. "I'm not a brat, am I?"

"No," A'ron said, "and before you say, R'kel," he kicked R'kel in the shin to knock him out of his stupor, "you and Callanth are not worthless."

A half smile formed on R'kel's lips, "You can't exactly deny the underage comment, though, A'ron."

Mora giggled and Meg peeked out from her hair, "M'dor is very rude, very rude."

"Very rude indeed." The singer agreed, standing, as her friend began to laugh. "I'm going to go find Pallor." She declared. As she turned and began to walk from the Gather Square, R'kel noticed something that he hadn't before. The singer had a scar that was without a doubt threadscore wrapped around her arm. It made R'kel wonder what the hell she'd been doing out during thread fall.

Saiasha watched her go but then a slightly panicked look appeared on her face and she ran after the singer. "Hey, wait a sec!" They were too far away for R'kel to make out what was being said but Saiasha produced a small package from her carry-sack and handed it to the singer. The singer started off again and the runner trotted over to their table.

"Hiya' I'm Sai. I take it you know that creep."

R'kel had to laugh at her straight-forward manor. "Unfortunately."

Sai giggled. "Mind if I take a seat?"

"Sure! Go ahead." Reven said in a hurried voice. "We've always got room for a pretty runner."

"Keep hittin' on me and I'll teach ya' what happens when you get on my bad side, dragon-boy."

A'ron laughed as Reven stumbled over a response. "Bet she kicks even harder than I do, Reven." He grinned at Sai, extending his hand across the table. "A'ron, Mareth's rider."

Sai giggled and shook his hand. "Nice ta' meet 'cha."

R'kel smiled and shook his head. "R'kel, Callanth's rider."

"I'm Reven and as soon as the weyrleader let's me on the sands I'm gonna Impress a bronze!" Reven blurted out before Sai could reply to R'kel.

Mora tugged on his arm. "Little brother is very rude, very rude. Interrupt big brother, very rude, very rude."

"It's alright Mora, I was done talking."

"You guys siblings?" Sai asked, tipping her head to one side.

"Yeah, they're the weyrleader's kids." A'ron said as Reven came to his senses.

"Hey, R'kel? Do you think you could talk some more pies out of Kalaam? Pretty please?" Reven begged.

"Pies!" Mora exclaimed. "Pies good! Pies best-good!"

"Kalaam makes the best pies on all of the Southern Continent. He's stingy as all get out though." Sai added with a grin and a giggle.

"Alright, alright I'll get you more pies."

"Awesome!"

"Thanks bro!"

When R'kel returned with a tray full of pies, everyone at the table was laughing and Reven was wiping his face as if juice had shot out his nose. It made him wonder what they had been talking about in his absence. "Pies." He declared and set the tray down on the table. Hands reached out and started devouring the pies. "No need to thank me." R'kel muttered as he sat down. There was a chorus of thank yous shortly after.

"Hey, R'kel? If you don't mind my asking, how come Callanth hatched? 'Cause I heard that little Ruth wouldn't a' hatched unless Lord Jaxom hadn't helped it." Sai asked shyly. "Don't get mad at Reven, but he said that it was a good story."

R'kel sighed, took a deep breath, and began the story. "About two turns ago the first clutch laid since the move to Cove Weyr was about to hatch. Boys were gathered around the eggs and their families wait anxiously just off the sands. However, I got in trouble trying to get my idiot brother out of trouble," idiot brother in question opened his mouth to protest but A'ron kicked his shin and shushed him, "and I wasn't of age anyway, so Reven and I were setting up for the Impression feast instead of watching the sands."

"And the twelve-year-old me," A'ron jumped into the method of duel story telling that best suited this story, "was standing off the sands with my mother and father waiting for my brother who-was-supposed-to-impress to do so."

"After a while there were only a few eggs left on the Hatching Sands—"

"—and my brother starts approaching this green who then careens away from him and knocks into this little egg that no one expected to hatch, cracking it—"

"—just enough for this little brown dragon to fight its way free of its egg."

"Now, the green dragon starts barreling through into the crowd, completely ignoring all of the actual candidates and sounding horribly distraught."

"Meanwhile, the little brown dragon is walking, much more slowly, in the charging green's wake."

"The next thing I know, said green dragon is standing in front of me. She extended her head toward me. I was absolutely terrified and jumped backward, falling over in the process. She started keening again and then started asking me what was wrong and why I was scared and saying that she would eat whatever was scaring me because she was so very, very hungry. R'kel, Rekel then, materializes at my side and hauls me back to my feet, telling me to quit standing there like a lame wherry and tell everyone her name."

"So, he told us that her name was Mareth. I could tell that his parents were anything but happy so I started towing him toward the other Impressed candidates and hatchlings, using the path the Mareth had created to reach A'ron, then Aaron."

"Of course that path leads us straight into the little brown dragon, which then clings to the leg of R'kel's trousers, nearly tripping him. He untangled the dragon with an amused smile and told me that the dragon's name was Callanth."

"A'ron was still too terrified to do or say anything so I went back to dragging him toward the dragonrider who were handing out food for the greedy guts we call dragon hatchlings."

_Am I still a greedy gut?_ Callanth asked, listening on the story, even though he had heard it as often as R'kel had told it.

_Yeah, buddy, you are._

A smile slowly spread across R'kel's face. "One angry brother and a promise to talk to the weyrleader later, and we're sitting on the ground shoving food into some hungry hatchling stomachs."

Sai giggled. "That is a good story. Hey, A'ron? How come your family wasn't happy that you'd Impressed?"

"Well, I come from a family of weavers and when my brother was Searched they were happy because their older son, who couldn't weave cloth to save his life, was still going to have a respectable position in life as a dragonrider and their younger son, aka me, who could actually weave, would carry on the family trade. But instead, their talented son is the dragonrider and they've got their less than talented son as the family heir. Basically my entire family is mad at me."

"Wow, that bites."

A'ron shrugged. "It's disappointing I suppose but I wouldn't trade Mareth for the world and I've got plenty of new family now." He elbowed R'kel.

"So, you guys have been friends ever since?"

"Well, we were both kind of outcasts in weyrling training." A'ron told her. "We were both under the permitted age for proper candidates, a good deal in my case, and they all had some stupid problem with Callanth's size."

Sai shoved loose-frizzy hair out of her face to have it fall back in the same place, only managing to succeed in getting pie crumbs in her hair. She scowled at it but then apparently decided that it wasn't worth her time. "Isn't the permitted age for a proper candidate, like, twelve turns or something?"

"In most Weyrs, yes." R'kel replied.

"But Weyrleader R'sil will only put candidates sixteen turns or older on the hatching sands, though, sometimes, if a younger candidate is really promising the Weyrleader will let them stand on the fringes."

"How come?" Sai tipped her head to one side while changing her mind about the pie crumbs and trying to brush them out of her hair.

"Well…" A'ron began, but he hesitated.

"To avoid A'ron situations." R'kel finished, earning himself a glare from his friend. Sai's head tipped slightly to the side in a manner that clearly said 'I don't understand.' "It means that—"

A'ron interrupted him, "Dragons mature faster than their riders. So, the Weyrleader doesn't want situations, like mine, with a fourteen-turn-old rider and a could-very-well rise-any-time-now green dragon."

Thankfully, Sai didn't inquire any farther on that topic. Instead, she turned to Reven. "Do they do that a lot?"

"You mean finish each other's thoughts?" Sai nodded. "Yes, they do. It's kind of creepy sometimes." Reven folded his arms across his chest. "We've told you about us, hows about _you_ tell us a little about _you_."

Sai shrugged. "Not much to tell. My ma's a station manager. My pa's a runner. My aunt's a runner. My uncles are runners. My siblings are runners. My cousins are runners." Shrugging again, she continued, "Like I said, not much to tell. Runner born and bred, I am. Nothin' else, no awesome story behind it."

"You're part of one of the first well-developed runner families on the Southern Continent,_ that's_ a story." R'kel said.

"Huh? Hey you're right! I've got a story."

"Everybody does."

"How about how you got your fire-lizard? That's got to be an awesome story!" Reven nearly shouted, earning himself sharp glares from R'kel and A'ron.

"Loud little brother." Mora whispered. "Little brother loud. Much-loud."

Sai giggled. "That he is. Anyway, Reven, if you're asking about the scaredy green that was clinging to me earlier, she's my friend's not mine."

R'kel mentally counted the fire-lizards he had seen gathered around Sai and her friend's table earlier and could tell that the others were doing the same. A'ron spoke up first, "Your friend has four fire-lizards?"

She laughed so hard that it startled everyone at the table. "She's got a baker's dozen fire-lizards. At least!"

"Great stars!" A'ron exclaimed as his mouth dropped open.

"What's a baker's dozen?" Reven asked with such a look of confusion that R'kel had to chuckle under his breath.

"Thirteen."

Reven's jaw dropped now. "But that's even more than Master Harper Menolly!"

As if alerted by some sort of signal, a blue fire-lizard appeared and landed in front of Sai. Carefully held in its fore-claws was what looked like a folded letter. The creature held the letter out to Sai who took it and deposited it into her carry-sack without even looking at it. She scratched the fire-lizard's eye ridge for a moment before the blue winked back out of existence.

"Aren't you going to read that?" Reven asked, the first to query about the curious incident.

A shocked expression appeared on Sai's face. "Why?" She asked. "It's not for me."

This confused Reven even more while R'kel and A'ron were trying not to laugh at the expression on his face. "Then how come it was delivered to you?"

"It's for my friend's sister. I'll deliver it to Seven Coves during my next run."

"Can't one of your friend's fire-lizards just deliver it?"

"The hawkeyed hag might be watching and she wouldn't know about it."

Loud laughter from behind Reven made everyone seated at the table, save Mora, jump. "Spoken only like someone who has met the good Master Healer of Seven Coves." Sai made a face. "I must agree."

"Hey Pallor." Sai said.

"Afternoon Saiasha." The man, now identified as Pallor, answered.

"Ionnae went…" Sai touched her finger to her lower lip as she glanced around the square. "She went… that a' way." She said, pointing, with a look on her face that told R'kel that she _hoped_ that she was pointing him in the right direction.

Pallor caught the look as well but grinned. "Talked to her already."

"She's staying, right?" Sai whined in a manner that reminded R'kel of Reven hurrying him along to get to the baker's stall.

"She told me that she was so she had better. Speaking of tonight, I've got to go dig up Nyle before we have to perform."

"Later, Pallor!" Sai shouted at him as he walked away. Pallor glanced back and gave her a backward wave over his shoulder. She glared at his retreating back for a moment, then crossed her arms in a huff and blew loose hair out of her face. It fell back in pretty much the same place so Sai tried again with the same result. It was such a sight that Reven was trying to stifle laughter and A'ron had covered his mouth, likely doing the same. Sai eventually started giggling, prompted by the quite laughter. Suddenly the entire table had erupted in laughter.

This was how a good chunk of the afternoon went. R'kel thought that he'd laughed more than he had in his entire life. Sai was one of those people that it was just impossible not to like. Despite that she'd thought she had no stories to tell, she had a harper's tongue, and could weave words in a way that made an everyday event seem like an epic adventure.

"So then," Sai was saying as evening fell, "the entire population of the station was off hunting for this _alleged_ monster that Deyvn was going on about. Later, we'd all find out that the sound that had scared him witless was a wherry falling out of a tree!" Laughter answered the end of her story and she joined in a well. R'kel's gut was starting to ache from all the laughing he'd done.

"Just like A'ron's _alleged_ dolphin pod."

A'ron glared at him. "And R'kel's _alleged_ fire-lizard clutch."

"It was there! You think I scratched _myself_ up like that?"

"What's all this now?" Sai asked.

"According to A'ron there's a small pod of dolphins living in an area a ways from the Weyr where there hadn't been any reported dolphin activity. None of the rest of us have laid eyes on them." R'kel told her and then waited patiently for A'ron to talk about his _alleged_ fire-lizard eggs.

"According to R'kel there was a clutch of queen fire-lizard eggs in a cove between here and the Weyr. However, it seems to have vanished without a trace."

"He _did_ come back looking like he'd been mobbed by fire-lizards." Reven added.

The crowd that had gathered in the square suddenly fell silent. Sai, forgetting the conversation, gave a thumbs-up to someone behind R'kel and, as he turned to look, the singing started.

"_Little queen, all golden_

_Flew hissing at the sea_

_To stop each wave_

_Her clutch to save_

_She ventured forth bravely"_

R'kel was shocked, to say the least. It was hard to imagine the average seeming girl he'd seen earlier as the object of his little brother's idol worship but now it made a bit more sense. The nameless singer had a beautiful voice, though she was obviously not harper trained and sang lower than most women did.

She sang into the night. Traditional ballads, more modern songs. Alone or with the group. Eventually she turned her silver eyes toward the stars they resembled. She turned and smiled at the harper playing the guitar behind her, Pallor. He smiled back and laid his guitar across his knee. The drummer likewise set down his sticks. The singer turned back to the crowd with a slight smile on her lips. She drew in a breath and sang.

"_Dreaming of the stars on high_

_That drift into the sacred sky_

_Drifting on a breeze_

_Only I can hear and feel"_

**Hi… been awhile. I actually wrote this in about six days. The problem is that those six days were several months apart. I hope to get the inspiration to write this a bit faster but while I know where I'm going, getting there is still a bit foggy, though I think I have a better idea for what will happen in chapter five than I did when I got up thing morning.**

**I'm starting college in August so it might possibly be another half year before I get the next chapter done. I truly love this story and hope that I'm able to get it done. I'm having a bit of trouble portraying R'kel's complete lack of self-worth.**

**Maybe I should find a beta or someone to bounce my ideas off of. It's not easy to find people who've read the series. **

**Thank you all readers and reviewers. I hope I don't let you down.**

**-Ebony**


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